The Morning Will Come
by crzdsunbeam
Summary: Alex finds a girl, hurt and unconsious on the slopes of the hill that has brought him many visions of problems to come. When she wakes, they find that nothing is as it seems, and no one can be trusted.
1. New People

**New People**

**Alex**

Alex was a 17 year old wizard. He had done many things in his short lifetime, killed a dragon, befriended another one, saw an oracle rise to power, helped a king reclaim his throne, and was now helping his teacher, Whalen Vankin, and chase an ancient evil across the known and unknown lands. But even though he had done all those things, Alex was starting to get worried. It had been 28 days since Whalen had arrived at his house in Alusia, under mysterious circumstances saying that he was going to go off by himself for a while. He had told Alex to come and find him if he hadn't sent any word after 30 days, and nothing had arrived yet.

He thought that taking a walk by the creek that ran behind his house would calm his mind, so he set off in that direction. Alex had only just sat down on a small boulder, when his horse, Dar Losh, cantered across the shallow water. Dar Losh was whinnying insistently, and prodded Alex's shoulder with his nose.

"What is it friend?" Alex asked, stroking the horse's cheek. Dar Losh's large, intelligent eyes stared into Alex's, before biting and pulling his shirt. "Okay!" Alex laughed. "I'm coming."

Alex didn't think that the horse would wait for him to go back to the house to get his saddle, so Alex mounted the horse's bare back.

"Take me where I need to go," Alex whispered in Dar Losh's ear. Dar Losh shot forward, and Alex had to twist his fingers in his mane to keep from sliding off. Whatever it was Dar Losh had to show him, it must be important.

After about 3 minutes of hard riding, Dar Losh stopped at the base of a large hill. Alex slid off the horse, and shuddered as he recognized his surroundings. This was the place that he had had a vision of shadowy armies ravaging the land. Dar Losh neighed loudly, and Alex was pulled back into reality. The horse was nuzzling the ground, in the middle of a tall patch of grass. Alex moved beside the horse, and looked at the ground.

"Oh my god!" Alex exclaimed, dropping to his knees beside the girl that was lying on the ground. Her eyes were closed, her face was filthy, and her hair was tangled and matted. Her clothes were torn and dirty, and concealed little. Alex blushed, and forced himself to focus back on her face. He felt her forehead, and recoiled at how hot she was with fever. When she did not stir at his touch, Alex started to worry. Her spirit was fading fast, and would soon disappear if he didn't do something.

As carefully as he could, Alex took the girls hand, and softly spoke the words that would allow him to join her in the shadowlands, the place between life and death. The magic took its effect, and Alex felt a slight tingling sensation race through his body. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he found himself standing next to the girl, halfway between the light, and the wall that separated the living from death.

"Hello," Alex said to her. She jumped and turned, her eyes widening as she looked at him. Alex was a bit surprised too, because the girl had a shimmering gold aura surrounding her, and only people that can use magic have auras.

"Who are you?" She asked, backing away a few steps. "What do you want?"

"I'm Alex, a wizard." Alex said in a calm voice. "I am not here to hurt you; I just want to take you back to the living."

"What if I don't want to leave?" The girl told him, turning to face the wall once more. "I know nothing of the world beyond this."

"Then I will force you to come with me." Alex said sternly. "It is not your time. You do not belong here."

"The people on the other side of that wall are saying the same thing. 'Turn back Alexia' they say. 'Enjoy your freedom while you can' they tell me." She bowed her head. "Should I trust them, and through them, you?"

"Do you not know them?" Alex asked her. "Only your loved ones can call out to you from beyond the wall. Can you not see their faces?"

"I don't know them," she sighed. "I don't know anything."

"You have lost your memory," Alex realized. "Would you like for me to talk to the ones beyond the wall for you?"

"You can do that?" The girl's eyebrows drew together in thought. "If you can, then yes, I want to know the meaning of their words."

Alex nodded, and carefully walked down the gentle slope of the hill. As he drew close enough to the wall to touch it, he stopped, looking solemnly at the small group of people gathered on the other side.

"Do you know that girl?" he asked them, pointing at her. The people nodded, and one, a young man, stepped forward to speak.

"We were friends of hers," the man began. "Before we crossed from that life into this one. I am not allowed to say more than that. But please, my lord, will you take care of her? If she has any living relatives, we do not know of them, and it would be suicide for her to go back to where she came from."

"I swear that I will care for her," Alex said. "But I need to know more about her."

"I cannot say any more!" The man cried, drifting back to the rest of the people. "Please, it is for the best. It's for Alexia."

The people that were gathered faded away, and Alex was left standing alone on the bottom of the hill.

"What did they say?" she asked as he came back to the top of the hill.

"They asked me to take care of you, and I promised I would." Alex held out his hand, and the girl took it, and together they turned and walked into the light.

The girl gasped and sat up as soon as they returned to their bodies. Alex pushed her back on the ground, and uttered a simple spell that would put her to sleep. Now that her soul was anchored back in her body, Alex was able to see the golden light that surrounded her in this world too.

"I don't think that I can carry her all the way back to the house," Alex told Dar Losh. The horse snorted, as if to say, '_if you can't, I can!' _Alex smiled, carefully lifted the girl, and settled her on the horses back.

"Do you think you can keep her from falling off while I get on?" Alex questioned the horse. He dipped his head in response. Alex was able to crawl onto the horses back, without jostling the girl. Alex laid her across his lap, so he could keep her from sliding off as they rode. He told Dar Losh to take them back home, slowly.

It was almost sunset by the time that they arrived at the house. Alex slid off Dar Losh, with the girl in his arms, and walked to his porch. "Thank you," Alex called out to Dar Losh. "I will take care of her now, like I promised." The horse neighed, and then galloped onto the west.

Somehow Alex was able to get through the door, up the stairs, and into the spare bedroom, where he laid the girl down on the bed. "Wake," he told her. Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked around in confusion. "Remember," Alex whispered, and the girl's eyes widened as the experience in the shadowlands came back to her.

"You saved me," she said softly. "You didn't even know who I was, yet you saved me."

"Do you remember anything before you came to the shadowlands?" Alex asked.

"No," she shook her head. "Nothing. I don't even know my own name." She let out a shuddering sob, the force of it racking her thin frame. "What am I going to do?"

"Hush," Alex said. "You can stay with me. There is more than enough room, and I get lonely sometimes. It would do me good to have some company." _Until I have to go after Whalen at least, _he finished in his head.

"You're serious?" she sniffled.

"Completely," Alex smiled. "Earlier, the people that I talked to called you Alexia. Do you wish to be called that?"

She nodded. "Yes. Your name is Alex, correct?'

"Yes."

"Do you happen to have a bathroom? I'm filthy."

"Down stairs to the left. I'll leave some clothes in front of the door!"

"Thank you!" Alexia called back, right before she closed the door.


	2. New Problems

Since Alex didn't have any girl clothes, he had to use his magic to make some that he thought would fit Alexia. As he set the clean clothes in front on the bathroom door, he heard a gasp of shock from the other side.

"Alexia," Alex called. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine, Alex," she stuttered. "I'll be out in a m-moment!"

"Okay…" He replied. Alex walked into the kitchen, and sat on one of the counters, unsure of what he should do next.

"Alex?" Alexia whispered from the hallway. "Could you come here for a moment?"

"Be right there," Alex said, hopping off the counter. He turned, and saw Alexia poking her head around the corner. "Do you need something?"

Alexia frowned a bit, and then shook her head. "I just need to show you something. It's weird, and almost impossible, but I thought I should show you." Alex walked after her as she went back to the bathroom. "Look," Alexia said, pointing at the small mirror that hung above the sink. "Do you see what I mean?"

"What the-" Alex gasped. "I haven't looked in a mirror for a long time, but I think I would have noticed this!"

"That's what I thought. Until I looked, I had no idea of what I looked like." She took a deep breath. "I couldn't help but comparing our faces, and… if we were of the same gender, we would look identical." She was right, they did look almost identical. Their sandy blonde hair was the same shade, though Alexia's was longer. Their noses had the same shape, as did their lips, eyes, and ears. Their faces also had the same basic shape, with high cheek bones and foreheads, but Alexia's was a bit more teardrop shaped then Alex's. As Alex stood there, looking into that mirror, he realized that he could hardly call Alexia a girl. She was only a few inches shorter than him, and at least as old as he was, if not older, which made her around 17 years old.

The only thing that didn't look the same was the color of their eyes. Alex's were a blue-green with flecks of silver in them, but Alexia's were a deep cobalt blue with flecks of gold. Alexia looked her eyes with Alex's in the mirror. "Are you sure you don't know who I am?"

"I swear." Alex said. "I haven't seen you ever before in my life. I'm sorry Alexia, but it's the truth."

"I understand," she sighed. "It's late, and I think I'll go to bed. Good night Alex and thank you for your kindness."

Alex wasn't able to sleep that night. He was too busy thinking about Alexia. Why was he the one to find her? Why did she look almost exactly like him? Why couldn't she remember anything of her past? And, most importantly, what would he do when he had to go after Whalen? With these thoughts tumbling around in his head, he stayed up until dawn, unable to close his eyes.

Unfortunately, only an hour later, Alex was awoken by a loud dinging noise coming from the foot of the bed. He sat up, rubbing his blurry eyes, and saw a bright yellow, bowling-pin shaped creature standing on its single leg on top one of the bedposts. It was a bottle-necked geeb, a magical messenger that can travel throughout the know lands. Whalen must have sent it, and now Alex had to find a way to somehow care for Alexia until he could get back. Alex flopped back down on the bed and threw an arm over his face. Why couldn't anything be easy for him? The geeb climbed onto his chest and started hopping up and down insistently.

"Okay," Alex sighed. "Give me the message." The geeb spat the letter out, and Alex paid id, but it didn't leave. "Do you need a reply?" Alex asked it. It went _ding! _and Alex went over to his desk to write a reply after he read what Whalen sent. He tore open the envelope, and read this;

Dear Alex,

It is time for you to come. Gather a company of seven people, excluding you, and make sure that at least one of them is a woman. You probably have a lot of questions, but your reply has to only say whether you received this letter or not. I will explain what I can when you arrive at Chantas, in the south Sundar. You have one week to find your traveling companions, and two more to get where you need to be. I will await your arrival.

Yours in fellowship,

Whalen

Alex hastily scribbled a reply, and then sent the geeb off back to Whalen. He could hear Alexia yawn as she woke up, and he thought silently to himself, at least one woman? Maybe he didn't have to leave her behind after all…

Alex wrote six copies of the same letter, and used a geeb to get them where they needed to go. This could work out.


	3. New Places

"We are going to go to Telous," Alex told Alexia over breakfast. "While I do some business there, you can go shopping for whatever things you need."

"I don't have any money, Alex," Alexia reminded him.

"Do you really think I would suggest you go buy things," Alex smiled. "Without giving you anything to buy them with?"

"Well, no," Alexia said. "But do you have enough? I don't want you spending money on me if you can't afford it."

"I have more gold than I know what to do with!" Alex laughed. "Don't worry; I know what I am doing. I suggest you do get a magic bag from the bag maker. Just ask anybody on the streets, they should be able to point you in the right direction."

"Where do you want to meet back up at?" Alexia asked him around a mouthful of eggs.

"There's a tavern called the Golden Swan," Alex said. "There is a big sign on the front, it's hard to miss. I'll be waiting there along with some friends."

"Okay," Alexia paused for a moment, a look on her face that made Alex think that she wanted to tell him something. But the moment passed, and Alexia smiled at him. "Is there anything else?"

Alex thought for a moment. "Actually, yes. Mr. Blackburn is a weapons smith. You should probably go pay him a visit at his shop."

"Why would I need a weapon?" Alexia asked.

"We might be doing some traveling, and there's no knowing what dangers we will meet on the road."

Alexia finished her food, and set the empty plate on the counter. "So, how are we going to get there?"

"Magic," Alex said. He stood and set his plate on the counter. "Just give me a moment to get some stuff…" Alex murmured a spell that summoned his magic bag and staff to his hands. "Okay, let's go." Alexia followed him through the front door, and Alex made sure that he sealed it with magic. He raised his staff, and looked at Alexia. "Ready?" he asked. She nodded and Alex changed them into a pair of eagles.

"Was not prepared for that!" Alexia screeched at him, in the eagle's voice.

"It takes some getting used to. Now follow me," Alex replied. He took off into the sky, Alexia soaring behind him.

"There's the gateway!" Alex called back to Alexia, dipping his head in the direction the gate was in. He dropped into a steep dive, landing right in front of the tower on the left. After Alexia landed beside him, he changed them back into their original forms.

"Doesn't look like a gateway to me," Alexia stated as she shook a loose feather out of her hair.

"The two towers are the pillars, and the sky the arch," Alex explained. He spoke the words that would allow them to go through the gateway and appear in the fields outside Telous. The air in front of them, and Alex grabbed Alexia's hand, and together they passed through the gateway.

"Where's this?" Alexia asked, her face shining in wonder. "I don't see a city."

"It's only a short walk," Alex said. "Come on, I don't want to be late."

"Then why don't we become birds again?" Alexia question. "It would be faster."

Alex continued walking. "All magic has a price, all of it. It's not wise to use magic where conventional methods of life would be just as useful."

"What is the price?" Alexia asked.

"I always feel a little drained after I change back." Alex told her. "I am going to be honest with you, when I first found you I was surprised to find that you can maybe use magic. I wasn't going to tell you until later, after you had a better idea of who you are, but I guess now is as good a time as ever."

"How could you tell?"

"There's a saying that wizards have, 'power knows power, and like knows like.'" Alex said. "It pretty much means that magic users, which have had a bit of training, can tell when other people are magic users. They have auras, the color or brightness depends on who they are, and how powerful their magic is."

"So that's why you look like your bathed in moonlight!" Alexia exclaimed right as they came to the gate of Telous. "I didn't think it was normal, but I didn't want to offend you by asking questions."

The guards knew Alex well, so they waved them through without asking questions, but Alex waited until they were well into the city before asking questions.

"You can see my aura?" Alex asked.

"Well," Alexia shrugged. "I guess so. Is that okay?"

"It's great, actually, "Alex said. "It means your magical ability is more advanced than I thought. I have to go now, so meet me at the Golden Swan, okay?"

"Alex, I still have no money."

"Just tell the shopkeepers that Master Alexander Tayler will stand good for you. Buy the best of what you need, but only what you need. I REALLY have to go now, I'll meet you later!" Alex ran off into the streets, towards the building where adventures were set up, glancing over his shoulder at Alexia before he turned the corner, and he couldn't see her anymore.


	4. Mr Blackburn

I went around to some different shops, the tailor's, the cobbler, and a leatherworker, collecting the receipts as I went. I really hoped I wasn't spending too much, because the costs of the things I was buying were adding up fast. Soon, the only places that were left that Alex said I needed to go were the bag maker's shop, and the blacksmith's. Seeing how many packages I was carrying, I decided to go to the bag makers first. I asked a woman on the street where I might find it, and she was kind enough to point me that direction.

As I was about to get close to the shop, I tripped on a loose cobblestone and all the packages that I carried went flying.

"Are you okay?" someone asked me, and I looked up to see a young man offering a hand to help me up. He couldn't have been any older than twenty, and he had tousled light brown hair, a wide smile, and was very handsome. I took his hand, and he pulled me to my feet.

"Thank you," I said, brushing some dust off of my pants, and then bending down to start gathering the things I dropped.

"You're welcome," He said. "Can I help you with those?"

"I don't want to trouble you," I started.

He swooped down and grabbed the packages I haven't managed to pick up yet. "It's no trouble at all! Besides, helping pretty woman is something I don't have to be asked to do. My name is Anders Goodseed, but everyone calls me Andy. I would usually shake your hand, but mine seem to be full."

I laughed. "Well, Andy, I'm Alexia. I was just going to the bag maker's shop, so if you could bring my things there, I would be very grateful."

Andy smiled, and we walked the last little bit of the way together, and once we were inside, he set my stuff down on an empty table. Before he could walk out the door, I stopped him.

"Excuse me, Andy," I said. "But I don't really know much about magic bags. I was hoping that maybe you could help me with this one last thing."

Andy smiled, and nodded. "I'd be happy to." He led me over to a long counter, and rang the bell that sat there. The shop keeper came out of the back door, and beamed at us.

"Ah," he exclaimed. "Master Goodseed! Helping a new adventurer get on their way again?"

"I don't know," Andy laughed. "She's not in my adventure, but she might be in one of her own."

"Well, do you know what model you want?" The shopkeeper asked me.

"Um, a friend of mine said that I should get one with an ice room, a library, a bedroom, a bathroom, an expanding treasure room, and 3 other regular rooms," I listed off what Alex had told me to get.

"Your friend must think that you're going to spend a lot of time on the road," the bag maker commented.

"Do you have a sample model we can look at while you do that?" Andy asked.

"Over there on the table to the east," the bag maker said. "Standard passwords!" then he disappeared into the back room again.

"Come on," Andy told me. We went to the table the bag maker specified, and Andy picked up a crumpled leather bag. He handed it to me. "The password to get in is Enter. The one to get out is Exit. You go first."

"Enter," I said, and I felt a sensation like I was falling, but it stopped after a moment. I was now standing in a well-lit stone room, with three doors leading into other ones. Andy appeared beside me, and laughed at the shocked look on my face.

"Little disorienting the first time isn't it?" he asked.

"Are we really inside the bag?" I breathed. "This is so cool!"

"Yep," Andy smiled. "We should go back now; the bag maker should be almost done." I nodded, and Andy reminded me of the password out, and the sensation was like the one coming in, only reversed. I was still holding the soft leather bag in my hands, and it didn't seem as if Andy and I moved at all. The bag maker came back into the shop, with a black leather bag in his hands, so I set the one I was holding back on the table. He grabbed a thick book, and flipped through the pages before stopping on one near the middle.

"Name," he asked.

"Alexia," I replied.

"Full name please, miss."

"That is my full name," I insisted.

"Come on," Andy laughed. "You must have a last name."

"I don't," I said firmly. The bag maker must have seen that arguing with me further would be pointless, so he scribbled my name down in the book.

"Do you wish to name an heir?"

"A what?" I asked.

"The person the bag and it contains will go to, if and when you die."

"Oh, um," I thought for a moment. "Alexander Taylor, will be the heir."

Andy almost fell over in surprise. "Did you just say Alexander Taylor?"

"Yes," I replied carefully. "Is there a problem with that?"

"No problem," Andy rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I just didn't know you knew him. He's an old friend of mine; we went adventuring a few times together. You guys must be really close if you named him your heir."

"He saved my life," I said softly. "Anything that is mine is his, for it would not be mine if he hadn't called me back."

Andy let out a long sigh. "He's been up to things again, hasn't he? I actually came here to meet him, he said he was setting up an adventure, I just left right before I ran into you."

The bag maker cleared his throat loudly. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but if you want me to bind the bag to you miss, it would be better if I did it now."

"Bind the bag to me?"

"It's so you can't lose it, and if you set it down somewhere, no one can move it but you," Andy said.

"Oh."

The bag maker proceeded to wave his hand over my head and my bag, chanting as he did so. "There all done," he proclaimed after a few moments. "Standard passwords for now, but I suggest you change them as soon as possible."

"How do I do that?" I asked.

"Just tell the bag to change the passwords to whatever you want them to be, but be sure to specify which one is which. Payment?"

"Alexander Taylor will stand good for it," I said. The bag maker handed my receipt, and I put it in my pocket along with the others. I moved back over to the table where all my packages lay. "There has to be an easier way to put all these in there then carrying them in one at a time."

"There is," Andy told me. "Just hold the bag close to the pile, and say the room you want it to go into."

"Okay," I held the bag over the pile, and said. "Bedroom!" The pile shimmered momentarily, and then disappeared with a slight popping noise. I slung the bag over my shoulder, and left to leave the shop. "Thank you!" I called over my shoulder before the door closed.

"Are you going anywhere else?" Andy asked me.

"Alex wanted me to go to one more shop before I met with him at the Golden Swan," I said. "I think he said it was Mr. Blackburn's smithy?"

"I know where that is," Andy said. "Would you like me to show you? I was going to go to the Swan after this anyways, so I can take you there too."

"That would be lovely," I smiled. "Let us be off!"

Andy led me through the city, to a big building with black smoke bellowing out of its chimney. Andy opened the door for me, and I walked in. There was a thick shouldered man with soot on his face, polishing a sword with a rag. He looked up at us, and beamed.

"Customers!" he exclaimed. "Welcome! What can I do for you this lovely day?"

"I need a good weapon," I said. "I don't know which one though, they're all so fine." I walked over to one of the weapon covered walls, and stared at my reflection in the polished blade of a war ax. "Do you have any preferences?"

"Well," Blackburn scratched his chin. "I could measure you, and see what the book says. The book never lies."

I smiled. "That sounds great. How do you measure someone?"

Blackburn took out a tape measure, and told me to move into different positions, such as holding my arms out to the sides, touching my toes, etc., measuring different parts of my body every time I moved. He finally stopped, and opened a small book he kept in his pocket. He studied thee pages for a moment, then he closed it and stuffed it back into his pocket.

"I can't believe it," he exclaimed. "The second person to walk into my shop, and be able to use a staff."

"Wait, what?" Andy exclaimed.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"It means you have the capability to use powerful magic," Blackburn said. "But if you're not trained to use a staff, I suggest a small, lightweight sword, such as a rapier."

"Do you have any I could look at?"

"Most are in the back room, but there's a fine one over there," he pointed to the wall to the north. "You're most welcome to look at it."

"Thank you." I walked over to where he pointed. On a shelf, there rested a long thin sword, which I guess was a rapier. I had no knowledge of weapons, but I could tell that this was a fine sword. It's blade was sharp, and the hilt was wrapped in black leather. The cross guard had designs etched into the metal, and embedded in the pommel, was a polished chunk of obsidian. I carefully picked it up, and held it in my right hand. It felt perfectly balanced, and the leather was soft enough it molded into the shape of my hand.

"I'll take it," I said to Blackburn. He smiled and gave me the scabbard. It was hardened black leather, with golden designs painted on it. For a moment I thought the patterns looked like letters, but I blinked, and the moment passed. The sword slid in easily, and Blackburn and I started discussing the price as I stored the sword in my bag. Paying was simple, and I stuffed that receipt in my pocket too. As we exited the shop, I turned and smiled back at Mr. Blackburn.

"To the Swan?" Andy asked.

"To the Swan," I replied, and Andy took my hand and we walked down the streets to the place where Alex was waiting for us.


	5. The Start Of A Grand Adventure

The Golden Swan was a large building, fairly close to the center of the town. Above the doorway, there hung a sign, which had a swan painted gold on it. The shutters for the windows were green, and the outside walls were an off-white. Hearty laughter spilled out of the main bar area as I opened the door. Alex stood amidst a throng of people, laughing as a short man pulled him down far enough that he could run his knuckles over Alex's head. When Alex was fully upright again, he saw me and Andy standing by the door.

"About time you showed up!" he smiled at me and forced his way over to us. "I see you've already met Andy. Did you get everything?"

I nodded and pulled the bundle of receipts from my pocket. "I hope I didn't spend too much."

Alex looked over the prices and shrugged. "This isn't too bad; probably less than my first adventure." By this time, the short man had made his way to right behind Alex. At my words, he came forward more and chuckled.

"Tried to run me dry this one did," he poked Alex in the side. "But I'm still glad I paid for all your gear, though. If I hadn't, we would have all been dead halfway through your fist adventure. Not a good way to start, if you ask me."

Alex laughed again. "I agree. It's about time for the midday meal, and I think we should head to our dining area so we can all get introduced." He head to a door at the back of the room, followed by me, Andy, the short man, and four other people.

This new room was smaller, and had a table set for eight in the middle of it. Alex pointed out where everyone should sit, and I ended up to the right of Alex, with Andy to the right of me. Before we sat, and Andy pulled Alex away for a moment, and whispered urgently in his ear. Alex's eyes flicked over to me, and I had a feeling they were talking about what Mr. Blackburn had said in his shop. When they came back to the table Andy sat but Alex remained standing.

"Welcome, everybody," he began loudly. "As you all know, this is my first time leading an adventure, so I hope I get this right." There were some quiet chuckles. "First, I think I should introduce our eighth member. Alexia, if you would please stand." I stood and all the eyes turned to me, making me blush slightly under the scrutiny. "Everybody, this is Alexia. Now, I have recently been told that she is capable of using a staff, and I have seen strong traces of magic in her before, so, on this adventure I will take her as my apprentice." All the people at the table grinned broadly.

"Alexia, these are the people we'll be traveling with. You already know Andy, so that's Thrang Silversmith," the short man with black hair and a long curly beard of the same color. "Nellus Othen," a tall thin middle aged man with short-cropped black hair. "Tara of Kess" a pretty twenty year old woman with shoulder length brown hair. "Arconn," a man with long silver hair and pointed ears. "Halfdan Bluevest," another short man, with brown hair and a short beard. "And Tayo Donashe." A man with short blonde hair.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," I said. "As I am sure Alex told you, this is my first adventure, and I have lost my memory. I hope you will be patient with me as I learn the tricks of the trade."

"No problem kid," Nellus replied. "We all have to start somewhere!" Many chuckles followed this. Alex rang a golden bell by his seat. Several servants bearing mugs and pitchers of a golden liquid swarmed out of doors in the wall. The liquid smelled sharp and fruity, and I was reluctant to take a drink.

"What is this?" I asked Alex.

"Don't worry, its apple cider." He smiled, and then stood up once more. "To the adventure, and to luck!"

"To the adventure, and to luck!" We all cried, taking deep drinks from our mugs.

"Although you have more luck than any man needs Alex," Tayo laughed. "Maybe you could spare some for us regular folk."

"I didn't choose this!" Alex protested playfully. "I only need the luck because trouble seems to be drawn to me like I'm a magnet!" The playful banter between friends carried on long after the servants brought in our meal. The inside jokes that I didn't understand, and the ridiculously obvious strong bonds between them made me feel excluded. I know they didn't do it on purpose, but it still hurt. Would I ever be part of a group after I lost my memory? I had no idea who I was, so how could anyone else know?

Alex stopped suddenly with his fork halfway to his mouth.

"Are you okay?" I asked, coming out of my dismal thoughts.

"Um, yeah!" Alex smiled nervously. "I just forgot something. Would you mind coming with me for a moment?"

"Ah, sure..." I stood up and walked away from the table, and followed him halfway behind a pillar. "What's wrong?" The new tone is his voice startled me.

Alex looked around to verify that no one was within earshot, and lowered his voice so only I could hear him. "I believe that there is someone in the company that wants to kill you."


	6. Death On The Doorstep

**Death on the Doorstep **** Alexia**

"Now smile and laugh as if I told you something funny." Alex instructed. I immediately threw my head back in laughter, trying to make it sound genuine. The company at the table looked over, curious, and Alex forced a smile of his own.

"I would prefer if you stayed close to me on this trip," Alex said, talking through clenched teeth. "That way I'll be close by if anything happens."

"Alex, come on!" I protested as he tried to put his arm around my shoulders to lead us back to the table, trying to sound as playful as possible to stay in character. Then I leaned close to his ear so that no one at the table could see my lips move. "Who is it?"

His fake smile suddenly faded. "I don't know. That's why we need to be careful. If you die, then you won't ever learn who you are. And I would like to know that about as much as you do."

To finish the act to sway any suspicion Alex hugged me and whispered in my ear. "I feel a strange connection to you, but I don't know what it is or what it is supposed to mean. To keep suspicion away we might have to go to drastic measures, and I'm sorry for that. Sometimes, we will have no choice. I hope you forgive me for not making sure of your safety."

"You are forgiven," I whispered before pushing away from him. He gave me a brotherly kiss on the cheek, and took my hand. "I trust you Alex, and I'm sure we will find out who it is before anything happens."

He nodded and led me back to the table. The company didn't question anything, they just assumed that their friend the wizard had spoken to, perhaps courted, their new friend the untrained witch, and what was said did not concern them. Normal conversation started up again as soon as we sat down.

My food had gone cold, and I stabbed at it absent mindedly with my fork, deep in thought. Alex glanced at me worriedly, and pointedly, before turning back to the main conversation. As I watched him talk and laugh with his friends, I slowly realized something. There was absolutely no logical reason for us to look so much alike and not be related. Something could have happened to part of Alex's memory as well, or maybe he never even saw me before as he said, or it happened when he was too little to remember anything. But this little sensation that I feel, like a string connected to my heart, I was being drawn to Alex. It really made no sense!

Could Alex really be my brother, and neither of us know it?

Alex laughed, his teeth flashing and his hair bouncing up and down as his shoulders shook with mirth. i was positive that the answer was yes.

…

"We will stay here tonight and leave shortly before dawn," Alex said, as the servants cleared away the plates. "I have taken the liberty of renting us the suite on the top floor. The men will have the rooms on the left, the women the one on the right. I wish you all a good night!"

Everyone stood up and left the dining area. I followed Tara to the room we were sharing, and she shut and locked the door behind us.

"So," she said, sitting on one of the beds. "Are you and Alex… a couple?"

"Yes, no… maybe," I sighed. "It's complicated."

"But you have feelings for him?"

"He saved my life. How could I not?" I smiled in the semidarkness. "And he is very good looking, I won't deny him that. Do, um, do you have any feelings for him?"

"Like you said," Tara sighed. "He saved my life. How could I not?"

I sat up suddenly. "He saved you too? How? When?"

There was a faint sound of laughter. "Bandits attacked me and my company while on an adventure a while back. I was injured gravely in the battle. Alex's company found us, and he healed me. But I wouldn't wake up. So Alex followed me to the wall…"

"And he took your hands and led you back," I finished.

"Yes," came Tara's breathless reply. "I never can seem to stop thinking of him. For one as young as he is, he has this powerful aura, one that seems to draw you in and then never let go. You see how people act around him. Everyone is always ready to please, even his friends."

"They're scared of him," I continued. "Even when he was little, people were frightened because he was different. Of course, he never showed any signs of having magic until he came here, unlike me, but both of us were apparently objects to be feared."

"So you did know him in your childhood!" Tara exclaimed.

"What? No, I…" I trailed off. Where did I get that? No memories had resurfaced, but the words came all the same. Were they the truth? How could I know? "I don't know. I spoke without thinking."

"You're confusing," she said and rolled over, falling asleep almost immediately.

"Tell me about it," I murmured in the darkness, listening to Tara's snores.

Sleep took a long time to come, and when it did, it was not restful.


End file.
